The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-01-02
THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY.
A Pen Picture of the Frontier
Trading Post

. OF Fort Vancouver, the headquarter
of the Hudson Bay Company, when thu
e great northwest territory was held BY
); the United States and England, under
4 treaty of joint occupancy, Herber
e Howe Bancroft furnishes graphic de.
= scription in his History of Oregon
$ 1S34-1S48."
8 The most important post and place in
r al the Oregon territory was Fort Van
\ couyer. 1t was situated upon beau
5 tiful sloping plain, on the north bank Ct
> the Columbia River, about six miles
5 above the mouth of the Willamette
River. At this point the Columbia is
broad and much divided by low
; woody islands, which add diver
sity to a prospect embracing every
, element of grandeur and grace,
from gIistening snow peaks to the re-
flecJion of leaning shrubbery, whose
flowers of white or red are mirrored in
the calm surface of the most msiestic
of rivers.
The fort was not formidable in ap-
pearance. 1t consisted of strong
stoclade, about twenty feet high. with
out bastions, embracing an area of 250
by $50 yards. Within this enclosure,
around three sides, were ranged the
dwellings and offices of the gentlemen
in the cOmpany's service. In the
centre, facing the main entrance or
great gate, was the residence of John
Mclaughlin, the governor, by courtesy
iAe 10 Pot
g)n. 1t was French-Canad,an struc-
lure, painted white, with piazza
and flower beds in front, and
grape vines trained along
rude trellis. The steps leading to
the hall of the governors hCus
were Of horseshoe form, and between
the two. flights stood a twenty-five
pound cannon, mounted en- a ship's
carriage, and on either side of this were
two mortar guns. all with shot piled
Orcerly about them, bat otherw se
oklng innocent enough in their peace
Tul resting places. There were no gal
| leries around the walls for sentries. nor
| loop-holes for small arms, no appear
ance, n fact, indicating 8 dangerous
neigh6orhooi. Near the center of the
enclosure rose the company flag staff,
and everything about the place was
orderly, neat and business like. The
magazine, warehouses, store and shops
were all contained within the palisades.
and during the hours appointed for
labor every man attended to his duties,
whether as trader, clerk. smith, baker
II tailor.
A lei large enough tor a country
| church was suspended bv three stout
e5 about twenty feet high, covered
with little pointed roof to keep off the
rain. This brazen monte rang olt at 5
CLOCK IN the morning, rousing the fur
riers, mechanics and farmers to their
tasks. At it announced breakfast. al
8 work again, at u dinner, at | WORK.
at suspension OF labor and supper
Saturdays work ended at in the after
noon: at which time the physician of the
establishment served to the men their
week s ra5ions, consisting in winter of
eight gallons of potatoes and eight salt
salmo and IN summer OF peas and
taIOw; no meat and bread being al
lowed except occasionally. The Indian
servants hunted AMI fi9hed for addi-
tional upplies. Nor, was this u, re-
uniting INDUSTRY unnecessary. The HUI
son Bay Company required Its posts to
be self-supporting. The extent of ter
ritory they traded over was immense.
anu the number of their forts in
creased the demand for such
articles as could be produced onIv
in favorable localities. For instance
at Fort Vancouver the demand for axes
and hatchets for the trappers and In
dians required fifty of them to be made
daily. In addition to the manufacture
Of these, the smiths had plenty to do in
repairing farming tools apd milling
machinery, and making the, various
articles required by a community of
several hundred people. The carpenter.
the turner and the tailor were equally
busy; two or three men were cons -antIy
employed making bread for the fort
people and sea blscnit for the coasting
vessels. The furs had to 9e beaten once
week to drive out moths and dust
The clerks had not only 10 keep ac-
counts. and copy letters. Int to keep
journal OF every da, , atf,.rs. Among
40 many persons, some were sure to be |
IN the hospital, and on these the best
medical care Was bestowed. Though so |
far from the world as to be removed
from the worlds wants. Fort Van |
couYer was no place for the indulgence
OF poetic idleness.
On the farm was Touring mill and |
threshlng machine, worked by oxen or |
horses. A few miles above the fort, on |
little r. falling into the Column ia.
stood a saw-mill, cutting lumber
enough during the year to supply not
only the fOIt, but TO load one or two |
vessels for the Hawaiian Islands.
Between the fort and the river, on the
smooth. slnping plain. lays a village, |
consisting OF thirty or forty log houses.
anged along a single street, and occu-
ped BY the servants of the company.
canadians. half-breeds and Hawaiians,
with few from the Orkney Islands.
In every house an Indian woman pre-
sided as mistress, and the street
swarmed with children of mixed blood.
Nothing offensive met the eye; every-
WHARF, cleanliness and decorum pre-
vailed.
The BEET MEDICAL writers claim that
the successful remedy for nasaIcatarrh
must be non-irritsting, easy OF appli-
cation. and one that will by its own ac-
ton, reach all the remote sores and ul-
cerated surfaces. The history of the
efforts TO treat catarrh during the past
few years obliees as 10 admit that only
one remedy has eompletely met these |